Deck 3: Social Theory in Gerontology

Question 1

Which of the following terms refers to "the construction of explicit explanations in accounting for empirical findings"?

A) empirical generalizations
B) paradigms
C) models
D) theory
E) facts

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A testable statement about the relationship between two or more concepts derived from the theory is a(n)

A) hypothesis
B) paradigm
C) fact
D) model
E) empirical generalization

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A research study develops a theory about preparing to retire from data collected about older people's experiences in the workplace. This is an example of which type of theorizing?

A) backward
B) deductive
C) incorrect
D) productive
E) inductive

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following would be considered grand theories in gerontology?

A) disengagement theory and postmodernism
B) disengagement theory and life course perspective
C) modernization theory and postmodernism
D) disengagement theory and modernization theory
E) postmodernism and life course perspective

Question 5

Which of the following terms refers to a worldview that underlies theory?

A) empirical generalizations
B) paradigms
C) models
D) theoretical perspectives
E) facts

Question 6

The postmodern challenge rests on all but which of the following interrelated propositions:

A) science is hierarchical
B) science is the only way to discover "truth"
C) scientific knowledge excludes the voices of the marginalized
D) reason itself is attacked as a holdover from the Western Enlightenment era
E) all knowledge is socially constructed, in both time and space

Question 7

Theories are important for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) integrating knowledge
B) offering explanations
C) providing predictions
D) offering interventions to improve lives
E) describing a world view

Question 8

The three major foci of social gerontology are

A) theory, research, and practice
B) micro theories, meso theories, and macro theories
C) the aged, aging as a process, and age as a dimension of social structure
D) the aging population, biological aging, and social aging
E) the aged, biological aging, and psychological aging

Question 9

The state of social gerontological theory has been described as a trend toward "microfication", which refers to a

A) focus on social institutions
B) focus on social cohesion
C) focus on social conflict
D) focus on characteristics of individuals
E) focus on norms and values

Question 10

It has been suggested that the state of social gerontological theory has shifted toward microfication. This shift may be attributed to all of the following EXCEPT

A) the general mood of social science theory which emphasizes individual agency
B) a tendency to medicalize old age
C) a neglect of macro-level phenomena
D) a neglect of micro-level phenomena
E) research funding agencies that tend to view aging as an individual problem

Question 11

All of the following are true about normative theories EXCEPT

A) individual behaviour is determined by social norms
B) individual behaviour is determined by rules
C) people learn through socialization
D) they favour the use of the scientific method
E) they favour induction

Question 12

It has been suggested that social gerontology can probably only claim one theory as its own. This theory is

A) role theory
B) activity theory
C) disengagement theory
D) life course perspective
E) modernization theory

Question 13

Activity theory is considered

A) a macro theory
B) a micro theory
C) an interpretive theory
D) a bridging theory
E) a linking theory

Question 14

Activity theory assumes

A) that older people do not want to be active
B) that older people naturally withdraw from social life
C) that people who are active will be more satisfied and better adjusted than less active people
D) that people who are less active will be more satisfied and better adjusted than more active people
E) that socioeconomic, lifestyle, and generational variables may not be more important than maturational ones

Question 15

Activity theory is based on the proposition that older people

A) decline because of chronic illness therefore they must keep active to stay healthy
B) may face health declines, but they continue to have psychological and social needs as they did in their earlier life
C) must keep active because if they don't they begin to undergo cognitive decline
D) want to be busy, therefore people need to remain active in retirement
E) may face health declines and therefore becoming more active ensures well-being

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of activity theory?

A) it does not take into account social interaction that people require to become active as they age
B) it does not take into consideration the meanings that different people attribute to different activities
C) it assumes that psychological and social needs are stable over the adult years
D) it assumes that individuals have a high degree of control over their social situation
E) it has not been able to generate a generally agreed-upon conceptualization and measurement of activity

Question 17

What is the fundamental proposition of disengagement theory?

A) aging is accompanied by a mutual withdrawal of individuals and society
B) aging is accompanied by the withdrawal of the individual
C) aging is accompanied by the withdrawal of society from retired individuals
D) aging is accompanied by the withdrawal of individuals due to declining health
E) aging is accompanied by the withdrawal of society because older people are no longer able to work

Question 18

Some research suggests a social class dimension to disengagement theory. According to a study, which professionals tended to be very much psychologically engaged in their profession in later life?

A) retired accountants
B) retired care salesmen
C) retired university professors
D) retired police officers
E) retired factor workers

Question 19

Which of the following statements is one of the problems with disengagement theory?

A) the theory is easy to disconfirm which is not a desirable quality for a theory
B) it is widely criticized for assuming that disengagement is inevitable, functional, and universal
C) the concept of disengagement is so broad that there may be many different types of disengagement, both psychological and social, requiring a lot of empirical testing
D) it pays close attention to what the older individual might be thinking or feeling
E) the theory suggests the degree of disengagement depends on class structure

Question 20

Until the early 1980s, which two theories were the dominant theories within social gerontology?

A) role theory and activity theory
B) role theory and disengagement theory
C) activity theory and modernization theory
D) activity theory and disengagement theory
E) disengagement theory and modernization theory

Question 21

Continuity theory suggests that as people age, they make choices in an effort to preserve ties with the past. Continuity can be both

A) micro and macro
B) normative and interpretative
C) consistent and inconsistent
D) continuous and fixed
E) internal and external

Question 22

Which of the following is not true of continuity theory?

A) older people classify the degree of continuity in their lives as either too little, optimum, or too much
B) continuity does not imply no change rather it means that new experiences occurs against a backdrop of familiarity.
C) continuity is the same thing for all individuals
D) successful aging hinges on continuity in one's lifelong experiences, what one has become accustomed to as personally normal
E) it is not the particular level of activity per se that determines one's life satisfaction in later life, but rather how continuous current activities (lifestyles) are with earlier one

Question 23

Which of the following is not a limitation of continuity theory?

A) it focuses too much on social factors, overlooking the role of the individual in modifying the aging process
B) the lack of consideration of structural factors such as poverty
C) it is ageist to assume, as continuity theory does, that midlife is the standard for old age
D) continuity theory does not take into account maladaptive behaviours in midlife presumably, they would not become adaptive if continued into old age
E) the complexity of this theory makes it difficult to test empirically

Question 24

Social exchange theory is concerned with person-to-person interaction, focusing upon the calculations and negotiations that transpire between individuals as they

A) try to work out the disparity between work and retirement
B) attempt to explain their decreasing social integration due to deprivation of valued resources need for favorable social exchanges
C) search for power resources other than money that do not favor the young
D) determine their ability to profit from a social interaction that depends on resources they no longer have
E) seek to maximize rewards and minimize costs in their interactions

Question 25

Social exchange theory rests on the proposition that

A) people want to give more than they receive
B) people want to receive more than they give
C) older people need more but have less to give
D) exchanges work best when one person has more to give than the other
E) when one of the persons in a social relationship has substantially fewer resources, their ability to profit from the exchange increases

Question 26

Why is social exchange theory considered a bridging theory in social gerontology?

A) because it bridges needed resources to maintain one's position in society
B) because it incorporates the ageism of wider society into the person-to-person social interactions in which older people are engaged
C) because it incorporates the material rewards with the nonmaterial rewards
D) because older people give as much help as they receive
E) because social exchange theory attempts to explain the structured inequality that exists among different age strata

Question 27

According to social exchange theory, what assumption underestimates the resources of older people?

A) as people age, they become weaker and less able to take care of themselves
B) as people age, they become more dependent on others
C) as people age, they have out-of-date skills and knowledge, and inadequate physical strength
D) once people are retired, they no longer fulfill an important role in society
E) older people prefer to be dependent, and therefore there is a societal assumption that they are powerless

Question 28

Age stratification theory is concerned with

A) only people aged 60 and over
B) all age groups, not just the aged
C) only people aged 55 and over
D) only people aged 80 and over
E) only people considered dependent

Question 29

The first element in age stratification theory is _____. This element refers to groups that are based on age and that have unequal status and opportunities in society.

A) age-related capacities
B) social roles
C) age strata
D) social control
E) age-related expectations

Question 30

Which of the following are intervening processes in age stratification theory?

A) cohort flow and individual aging
B) social roles and social control
C) age grades and age strata
D) allocation and socialization
E) values and norms

Question 31

The second basic process in age stratification theory is individual aging, which refers to

A) decline in cognition
B) decline is psychomotor functioning
C) the physiological and maturational changes that occur over time
D) all of the factors that help to shape the age strata
E) a number of factors such as cultural values, economic conditions and health, that affect aging

Question 32

To address some of the criticisms of age stratification theory, some of its supporters are re-inventing this theoretical perspective under the new name

A) the aging and society paradigm
B) the life course perspective
C) critical gerontology
D) structural functionalism
E) the aging and well-being perspective

Question 33

Modernization theory proposes that the status of older people declines with increasing modernization. Modernization is considered a

A) micro theory
B) bridging theory
C) linking theory
D) perspective not a theory
E) grand theory

Question 34

According to aging and modernization theory there are four interrelated aspects of modernization that are particularly salient in relation to aging. Which of the following is NOT one of these four aspects of modernization?

A) the development of health technology
B) urbanization operates to lower the status of older people
C) economic modernization and specialized jobs
D) people do have functional roles in modern society
E) increases in education lower the status of older people

Question 35

Modernization theory was intended to apply to all societies. However, it was recognized that societies will have unique characteristics that affect the way that modernization relates to aging. Two unique characteristics of Western societies are

A) work ethic and economic modernization
B) economic modernization and the reverence of old age
C) work ethic and the reverence of old age
D) economic modernization and higher education
E) work ethic and the cult of youth

Question 36

Which one of the following statements is not a limitation of modernization theory?

A) it is difficult to pinpoint when modernization actually begins, making testing of the theory very difficult
B) the shift from farming to urbanization does not account for the millions of farmers that remain in western society
C) aging and modernization theory homogenizes elders of the past
D) modernization theory is ethnocentric taking the west as the standard
E) modernization tends not to be linear and is a much more dynamic process

Question 37

Compared to our American counterparts, which of the following theories has been more important to and more widely used by Canadian social gerontologists?

A) role theory
B) disengagement theory
C) political economy of aging theory
D) social exchange theory
E) age stratification theory

Question 38

According to the premises of the political economy of aging theory, the experience of old age and the treatment of older people can only be understood within the context of all but which of the following?

A) the age strata that an individual belongs
B) the economy
C) the labour market
D) the state
E) the class, gender, and racial/ethnic divisions in society

Question 39

Which of the following is not one of the premises of the political economy of aging?

A) social policy reflects the dominant belief system that is crucial in enforcing, bolstering, and extending, structured inequalities in the wider economic, political, and social order
B) the strong influences of intrapersonal factors to the normal health-related changes that are part of growing old, place some constraints on what older people are capable of doing
C) the social structure shapes how older people are perceived and how they perceive themselves
D) the labels applied to the elderly and social policy shape the experience of old age
E) social policy and the politics of aging mirror wider social inequalities and power struggles

Question 40

According to the political economy of aging theory, what is the state's primary purpose?

A) the state is to ensure the well being of the economy
B) the state is to ensure the well being of older people
C) the state is to ensure the well being of dependent people
D) the state is to ensure the well being of older people who are outside the productive labour market
E) the state is to ensure the well being of political institutions.

Question 41

The life course perspective is considered the dominant perspective within social gerontology at the present time. This perspective has its theoretical roots in

A) role theory
B) modernization theory
C) continuity theory
D) age stratification theory
E) social exchange theory

Question 42

In order to understand the life course perspective, it is important to distinguish between life course, life span, life cycle, and life history. The life course refers to

A) a number of methods for collecting information about human lives over time
B) trajectories that extend across the life span
C) age-related biological and behavioural changes from birth to death
D) the ordered stages of life, with important transition points being marriage, births of children, the departure of the last child
E) the self-reported narration of life

Question 43

Which of the following is not one of the main principles of the life course perspective?

A) the life course is embedded and shaped by historical and geographical placement of the individual
B) individuals construct their own life course through their choices and actions, contingent upon the constraints and opportunities provided by history and social circumstance
C) major events when shared are referred to as linked lives and these linkages inform the trajectories of an individual's life span
D) lives are lived interdependently
E) the impact of a transition or event depends on when it occurs in a person's life

Question 44

Three critical issues for the life course perspective and the research emanating from it have been identified. As a result, the following concepts have received some criticism and need to be further developed:

A) agency, linked lives, life span
B) linked lives, life history, life course
C) social structure, linked lives, agency
D) life cycle, linked lives, agency
E) life span, life history, life cycle

Question 45

Feminist gerontology theory is based on the premise that gender is a fundamental organizing principle of society, operating over the life course of an individual. This premise means that

A) gender is biologically determined
B) older people are asexual, therefore gender is not important to the study of aging
C) feminist theories apply only to aging women not aging men
D) gender is socially constructed
E) gender helps aging people to attain a higher status in society

Question 46

One important task of the feminist researcher is

A) to empower only men so that they are able to advocate for themselves
B) to give a voice to the marginalized, often silence members of our society, such as older women
C) to maintain the status quo in policies to ensure that older people do not lose any benefits
D) to enable older women to understand that the roots of their oppression are biological
E) to ensure that knowledge of the professional researcher is held in higher esteem than the knowledge of older women

Question 47

Critical gerontology has its roots in all of the following EXCEPT

A) structural functionalism
B) humanities
C) feminism
D) neo-marxism
E) postmodernism

Question 48

All of the following characterize critical gerontology theory EXCEPT

A) it has its roots in neo-Marxism, postmodernism, the humanities and feminism
B) the essence of this theory is reflexivity seeking a self-awareness and deconstruction of the assumptions underlying mainstream social gerontological theories and research
C) it critiques the existing social order and its treatment of the aged
D) it seeks to provide an understanding of the meaning of aging and old age
E) it assumes that the nature of aging is static and normative

Question 49

An approach which uses discursive tools to help analyze authoritative discourses embedded in public policies and professional practices in society is an example of which type of approach?

A) activity theory
B) life course perspective
C) disengagement theory
D) postmodernism
E) modernization

Question 50

A major pitfall of research in productive aging is

A) the concept of productive aging is too restrictive
B) the lack of a unified concept of productive aging
C) the conceptual foundations of productive aging are too strong
D) the fact that older people are not generally productive
E) the theoretical foundations of productive aging are too strong

Question 51

It has been said that gerontology is rich in theory but poor in data.

Question 52

Theory and research are intimately related-one is useless without the other.

Question 53

Facts are empirically established findings that form the building blocks of theories.

Question 54

All of the early theories in gerontology focused on critiquing the existing social order and its treatment of the aged.

Question 55

The integration of critical theory with the political economy of aging is called the moral economy of aging.

Question 56

What are the two "camps" on the status of theory in gerontology? Briefly discuss each view.

Question 57

Define "theory" and "theoretical perspective." How are they different? Explain why theory is important to gerontology.

Question 58

Identify and briefly discuss the three barriers to theory development in gerontology.

Question 59

The postmodern challenge rests on a number of interrelated propositions. Identify and briefly describe each proposition.

Question 60

What are the three major foci of social gerontology? How do these foci relate to micro- and macro-levels of analysis? What is a potential problem with focusing on one level over another?

Question 61

What is the difference between normative and interpretive theorizing? What are the consequences of making this distinction?

Question 62

Discuss the links between theory in gerontology and in other disciplines. Is there a "uniquely" gerontological theory?

Question 63

Identify and briefly discuss the four main propositions of the life course perspective.

Question 64

What is the moral economy of aging? Give an example to illustrate this approach.

Question 65

Discuss the productive aging perspective. How has it been used? What are some problems with its use?

Question 66

How have social gerontological theories evolved over time? Describe the transition from earlier to emergent theories, using examples to illustrate theories from each phase. Has the focus changed? If so, how?

Question 67

Choose a normative and an interpretive social gerontological theory. Discuss how an aging issue would be approached by each theory. Compare and contrast the two approaches and discuss the strengths and weakness of each. Which theory best applies to the issue you have chosen? Why?

Question 68

Chose a micro theory and a macro theory from the social gerontological theories and explain each theory. Discuss the differences and similarities of the two theories. What makes the micro-macro distinction important? Describe a theory that has been used to link the micro-macro levels.

Question 69

Discuss the main principles of the life course perspective. This is currently the main perspective with social gerontology at the present time. Why is this perspective so appealing to gerontologists? What are some of its criticisms?

Question 70

Discuss the new emergent theories that have been applied to social gerontology. Discuss their strengths and weaknesses. What have they contributed to the body of knowledge in gerontology?